Pacquiao emerges as obstacle to Duterte’s succession plans

Manny Pacquiao (left) has been a loyal ally to Rodrigo Duterte since his shock election win in 2016. - AFP/Reuters

MANILA (Bloomberg): Boxer-turned-politician Manny Pacquiao is emerging as an obstacle to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s succession plans when his single six-year term ends next year.

Pacquiao, a loyal ally to Duterte since his shock election win in 2016, has rankled loyalists to the strongman leader since becoming acting head of the president’s ruling PDP-Laban party in December. Tensions spiked last week when Pacquiao urged members to ignore a meeting convened by a rival that called on Duterte to pick the party’s presidential candidate in 2022 and run for vice president.